1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a user information managing apparatus, user information managing program, and record medium having such program embodied therein for managing information regarding users.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to use the services of a server connected to a network, a client is generally required to present a user name and password or the like (hereinafter referred to as “user name and the like”) to the server. This serves to prevent unauthorized access to the server.
FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an example in which a client starts using a document management server. In FIG. 1, a document management server 501 is a computer in which a function to manage document information is implemented. A client 502 is a computer that uses the function of the document management server 501. A user management server 503 is a computer having the functions implemented therein to authenticate users based on user names and passwords, to provide user information, etc. That is, the user management server 503 has a database (hereinafter referred to as “user DB”) comprised of a correspondence table that includes user names and associated passwords, and attends to user authentication and the like based on the user DB.
The client 502 may transmit (S1) to the document management server 501 a user name and the like that are entered by the user on a login window or the like in an attempt to use the function of the document management server 501.
Having received the user name and the like, the document management server 501 requests (S2) the user management server 503 to authenticate the user based on the user name and the like. Here, the user management server 503 is selected in advance as an agency to which such an authentication request should be sent.
The user management server 503 authenticates the user based on the user name and the like, and sends (S3) the results to the document management server 501.
If the user is properly authenticated, the document management server 501 provides (S4) its service to the client 502.
In FIG. 1 as described above, the service of the document management server 501 is provided only to the users whose names and the like are managed by the user management server 503. This can effectively prevent access from unauthorized users, the leakage and/or tampering of confidential information, etc.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the document management server 501 and the user management server 503 are implemented by use of separate hardware units. Alternatively, a construction in which the function of the user management server 503 is incorporated in the document management server 501 is conventionally used as well.
From the viewpoint of convenience of maintenance and the like, the user management server may be provided separately for each service (the service of the document management server in this example). FIG. 2 is a drawing showing an example in which a user management server is provided separately for each service. In FIG. 2, user management servers 503a, 503b, and 503c are provided separately for respective document management servers 501a, 501b, and 501c. In order to use the service of the document management server 501a, the client 502 needs to be authenticated by the user management server 503a. By the same token, the client 502 needs to be authenticated by the user management server 503b in order to use the service of the document management server 501b, and needs to be authenticated by the user management server 503c in order to use the service of the document management server 501c. 
Namely, in the system configuration as shown in FIG. 2, the client 502 needs to be authenticated by a different user management server each time the services (document management servers) to be used are switched. This means that there is a need to request the user to enter the user name and password or the like each time the services to be used are switched. This is the case even when the user using these services is one and the same, and the user name and the like of this user are managed by use of the same value in the respective user management servers.
Such situation not only increases the load on the system unduly, but also gives the feeling of excessive cumbersomeness to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a user information managing apparatus, user information managing program, and record medium having such program embodied therein for providing the integrated management of user information that are distributed to a plurality of computers.